We
have an exciting challenge for our evangelist friends. Have you ever gone to a
city where there is a SuperBowl, because there are lots of people to talk to?
How about at other large events like the Kentucky Derby or similar crowd
events? We do too. But it seems like the crowds that go to those major events
are sometimes receptive, but many times they are just so driven and focused (or
getting drunk) that they hardly hear anything else. They paid a lot of money to
do what they want to do.
We
have discovered that preaching in cities is a great alternative. Many large
cities have intersections where there is heavy traffic at certain times - like
"rush hour", or on the weekends. And one of the cities we have found
that has a large flow of traffic - people walking and cars driving - is
Chicago. Every weekend, people come in from all across the country and around
the world to see the shops near Lake Michigan - a section called the
"Magnificent Mile". It is loaded with people and cars and they spend
2 or so minutes at red traffic lights and are always curious to see what's
going on around them. And it is flooded with people all Saturday night with
shoppers wandering from store to store. And they are looking for something
interesting to see and think about.
Some
of you know that we like to use chloroplast signs (plastic tube board like
cardboard) with black ink on them - reminding people of something about God,
His holy character, Jesus' death on the cross, repentance, the gospel,
following Him and leaving sin behind, and His return not too long from now. We
like to carry messages that strengthen the faith and inspire/encourage
spiritual growth of Christians, as well as getting the unsaved to think about
their need to get right with God. We are sure some of you probably have an
amplifier you can use to open air, and there are plenty of corners to stand on.
But, if the weekends don't work for some reason - "rush hour" traffic
every day has lots of people who will read signs and/or listen to some preaching
because they're bored and stuck in traffic. Don't forget that Chicago is called
the "Windy City" - you will want to prep for the winds that come
across Lake Michigan and carry right through the city.
We
have seen first-hand that the devil is on the move to convert Chicago to
prosperity, worldliness and thinking that "there is no God". We would
love to see more people join us in Chicago (or you own city) sharing the gospel
and teaching people how to follow Christ and turn from sin. The fields in
Chicago (and other large cities) are ripe for the harvest - waiting for people
to come preach. The people around you will look like they are ignoring you, but
if you look closer, you will see that many of them are cleverly watching you
and analyzing your message.
Please
pray for Chicago and ask the Lord to send you (or other harvesters). You might
notice that most of the taxi drivers there are muslim, but they are presenting
themselves as "peace ambassadors" with a false-gospel message. They
too need Jesus the Christ forever - so reach out to them too.
One
more note - parking in Chicago (and many other big cities) is always a
challenge. In Chicago, the rates are $4 per hour, or $20 to $34 for most of
day. There are also parking garages that usually range in the $25 to $35 per
day range.
~
evangelists,
servants
of Christ,
the
team with RestoreMBI.com